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Something I love to do even more than drawing is to dream up stories.. I’ve always done it, from when I was a small kid, and got to do it for real when I was a big kid with my three books. I think up a new one nearly every time I take a walk, which is great because it means the well isn’t dry, yet, but bad because I have so many it’s difficult to develop them all. Still, I’m going to try...

The ideas I have aren’t just for books. I have the graphic novel I’ve mentioned before - The Endling - but that’s part of a book series too so maybe not that different. There’s also shows - animated ones. I have notebooks full of them. And over the last few years I’ve learned a bit about the pitching process through good friends in the industry so my plan is to develop some of the good ideas into pitches and see where it leads me.

This is one I came up with a few years ago (maybe 2014) about a group of future scientists sent to Enceladus to study the microbial life found by an imaginary probe (a relative of Cassini maybe). The story is split into two timelines - the long journey there and the group after a year or two on the moon. Things have not gone well. I have the pitch somewhere so I’ll dig it out & post. It would be an irreverent comedy.. a little red dwarf maybe.

I have a lot more. I’m developing one at the moment that I’m very excited about called ‘The Last Door of Talun’, which I’ll post about when it’s ready. I also have an adult novel called ‘Ghost Music’ which I’ve started (I really want to write an adult book), another children’s book based on a concept I worked on years ago with the good Damo Farrell (director, producer, animator & renowned puppeteer) called Lusus Naturae (about a circus with a very big (huge, mean, dangerous) difference. There’s a more arty project called ‘Domum Novum’ (again with the Latin) which is my little love letter to the philosophical, thought-provoking sci-fi I adore, which involves a book, an exhibition, a short film and an album (demos already made - one track with animated video in the works to be released soon hopefully).. there’s a show for pre-schoolers (The Me’s).. an animated film called ‘Mountains of Glass’ about surfing and magic.. I’m sure I’m forgetting some..

So the reason I’m posting this is.. these are all just ideas.. pipe dreams.. but so was writing a book in the first place for me.. I’m going to work hard to develop them into something real.. all of them! & If you’re reading this and you have loads of ideas..you just have to back yourself, and put the elbow grease in to make them more than a sketch.. the idea is the easy part.. the hard work comes after.. But - go for it.. I’m gonna

*que simply the best music*

EDIT - Here is the original pitch copy for Enceladus. I did this before I learned what an actual pitch entailed, so it would need to be re-formatted into a proper one. But, maybe it gives you a basic idea of what this one might entail... Could make a good web comic. Another job to add to the list.

I've been curious about using Patreon for a while now. The prospect of earning a little on personal projects, allowing a little less time on client jobs (or at least removing the need to take on too many) is naturally very enticing. In fact, I went as far as setting one up a few months ago - but it was unfocused. I was looking for patronage which would allow me to work on anything that popped into my head - a bit of a gamble for Patrons for sure! So I got rid..

But, the thought of using it for something useful was still there. I thought I could use it more as a Kickstarter-style crowd funder for my graphic novel project, The Endling. In return for a small contribution (1 tier - pay what you like, from $1 a month), patrons could get a front row seat as I build the project more or less from the ground up. I could share the process not only from an art perspective, but also the story development itself. So, I've gone and done it.

This is a project I'm extremely passionate about. In fact, it's just the opening gambit of a concept that will, all going well, stretch beyond the graphic novel to novels and, hopefully, much more. The central conceit allows me a practically limitless sandbox to play in, all within the same story world. I can have any setting I want, because it's all based on multiple universe theory and the infinite variations of our reality that lie therein..

If you'd like to help with the project, I am of course always grateful for new patrons! And I will do my very best to make it worthwhile for those kind folks who part with their hard-earned money...